Some things

A few things that have caught my eye: the USA is a long way ahead of us in getting rid of lead from game meat – for wildlife and people.  Colorado is the next state looking to switch to non-toxic ammunition and there is interesting information on the impacts of lead in game on children’s…

New disease spreading through Red Grouse population

Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust scientists have published a paper which says that ‘Respiratory cryptosporidiosis is a new and rapidly spreading disease in red grouse.’.  This is a disease normally found in captive birds but the first case in the ‘wild’ was found in the North Pennines in 2010.  Worryingly, this paper also states that…

Stanwick Lakes delivers unique experiences

My local patch of Stanwick Lakes is nothing special in birdwatching terms – except it is my local patch. My Birdtrack records tell me that since September 2004 I have visited this site, and kept a species list of birds for the visit, on 368 occasions, recording in the process 152 species of bird.  Some…

Visit to Aberdeen

It was great fun talking to a packed lecture theatre in the Zoology Department in Aberdeen about Passenger Pigeons and Hen Harriers on Tuesday evening.  We also all had the opportunity to look at a stuffed Passenger Pigeon in the adjacent museum – which I always find is a rather poignant experience. I was talking…